SE: Hello there, welcome to Survivor: The Injured List, I'm your host, Steve Emtman.  Over the last few months we've watched as this group has battled through challenges, formed alliances, and taken every precautionary measure known to man all for one purpose: To stay off of the injured list.

As the weeks have gone by, we've seen player after player betrayed by their body in the challenges.  Heavy favorite, Peyton Manning was was knocked out in the (bursa) Sack Race.  Darkhorse Tyjuan Hagler was knocked off in the Feats of Strength competion.  And of course, who can forget how Marvin Harrison was disqualified after some accusations arose during the Philadelphia Hide & Seek Challenge.

Finally, after all the challenges and all the pain that's come along with it, we're down to our final two contestants.  To my right, is Gijon Robinson.

GR: Hey, wouldn't it make more sense if we weren't doing this game where all we do is injure ourselves?

SE: That's a stupid question.  Weren't you ever told not to ask stupid questions.

GR: Well I learned in school that there's no such thing as a stupid question.

SE: Where'd you go to school again?

GR: Umm...Missouri...

SE: [Glares at Gijon]

GR: ...Missouri Western State.

SE: Exxxxactly.  Now, on my left is our other finalist, Adam Vinatieri.  Gentlemen-

AV: Steve, I hate to interrupt, but I'd really like to know the answer to Gijon's question.  I think a legit question that deserves an answer.

SE: I guess you didn't learn about stupid questions either.  Where'd you go to school at?

AV: I went to State!

SE: Which one?

AV: ...South Dakota.

GR: [snickers]

AV: Hey man, don't even start knocking on the Jackrabbits!  [At least we cover a whole state!  None of that western part of Missouri garbage.

GR: Psssht, the western part of Missouri has more cool stuff than South and North Dakota COMBINED!

AV: Oh, that's it!

[Slap fight ensues]

SE: Alright you two, break it up.  You're going to need to save your energy for the final elimination challenge. 

To determine our Survivor, you two will engage in an old fashioned game of Roshambo!

GR: Um, is that even legal?

SE: Quiet, Missouri Western.  I should punish you for another stupid question, but since I'm a forgiving man, I'll stick with the rules and allow you to kick first since you finished first in last week's ACLerator challenge.  You can start in 5...4...3...2...1...

GR: [Kicks Adam in the man region.]

ARRRRRRRRRGHHHHH!!!!!!  OH MY FOOT!  I THINK I JUST BROKE IT IN FOUR PLACES!  WHAT DO YOU HAVE DOWN THERE?  BALLS OF STEEL?

AV: What else would you expect?

SE: Adam, it's now your turn.

GR: Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Hold up!  Timeout!  That's not even fair, man.  He's a kicker!  This is what he gets paid to do for a living!

SE: Those are the rules, man.

AV: How's South Dakota lookin' now, sucka?

GR: I take it back!  All of it!  Just don't raise that foo-

AV: [Kicks Gijon in the man region.  Gijon immediately passes out.]

Alright, so what do I get now that I'm the winner?

SE: You get to play Devin Hester!

AV: Can I play roshambo against myself?

Do not attempt to cramp Dwight's style.

First off, small editorial note: JakeTheSnake just started university, which means his schedule for late-August, early September will be a little out of whack. So, you might see his weekly "Know Your Colts History" column appearing on Saturdays for a few weeks. Eventually, Jake will get his stuff together and get back on his regular schedule. But for now, please rest assured he is still around and looking for more things to make fun of.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of talking about Peyton Manning's knee. The word bursa sac is starting to become a four letter word. So, let's put that aside today and talk about some positive things surrounding the team, because lost in all the talk about sacs, swelling, rumors, and rehab was the fact that Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders returned to practice this week. In fact, both men seem to be on a mission to have the Colts defense make a mark on the NFL. Some nice articles here and here give us some insight into how these guys have worked through injuries and are looking to make big strides in 2008.

For Freeney, the road back has been long. His foot injury at San Diego last November was the death knell for the Colts' Super Bowl chances. When he went down (and Robert Mathis hurt his knee), the Colts lost their pass rush. No pass rush = no playoff wins. For the first time since November of 2007, Freeney practiced this week:

He said he still experiences pain occasionally in the foot but added he is getting close to 100 percent.

Yet it's been apparent during the preseason that the Colts are prepared to ease Freeney back into the mix. They moved Raheem Brock, a starting tackle the past two seasons, to left end and flipped starting left end Robert Mathis to Freeney's spot at right end. For now, Freeney is listed as Mathis' backup.

For those still wondering why Brock was switched to DE on 1st and 2nd down, this is another reason why. For the first month of the season, we should expect to see Freeney used as a situational pass rusher. They'll bring him in on passing downs, and mix him with Mathis and Marcus Howard to create a consistent rush. After about a month, they'll ease him back into starting and playing every down. He's going to experience pain in his foot all year. It's just part of the deal. The best way to deal with that pain is to limit snaps early so he is fresh and strong late. The last few years, Freeney has gotten worn down a bit. The Tasmanian Devil can only spin so many times.

For Bob Sanders, last year was his coming out party. We've always known Bob is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. The league saw it, somewhat, in 2006 and saw it in full force in 2007. Bob is one of only two safeties to win Defensive Player of the Year. The last one was Ronnie Lott, arguably the best safety ever. That's impressive company, and like Lott, other players around the NFL are speaking highly of Bob:

"He's the heart and soul of that defense," Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor "He's relentless. He runs all over the place. They know that. He roams and roams. You have to put a hat on him. You have to account for him."

Bob is ready to explode!

What people always like to bring up with Bob Sanders are his injuries. Personally, I don't think Bob has been any more or less injured than many other marquis NFL safeties. Bob missed part of his rookie season with a foot injury sustained in college. It's a reason why he was a 2nd round pick. He then played all of 2005, and then missed much of 2006 before coming back for the playoffs and winning a Super Bowl. He played all but one game last season.

Now, compare that with Pittsburgh's Troy Polomalu, who missed three games in 2006 and was injured pretty much all of last season, missing 5 starts and posting career lows in tackles and grabbing 0 INTs. Philly's Brian Dawkins has done a tremendous job dominating from the safety position throughout his career, which has spanned 13 years. But look at the first 4-5 seasons of his career and you'll see they are riddled with him missing games here and there with various injuries.

Safety is a high collision, high contact position. If your starting safety can start 15 regular season games for you, that's gold. Even the great ones rarely get 13-14 starts.

That said, Bob knows that injuries are part of the game, and taking a measured approach to them is all one can do, and that one should never try to be something they aren't:

"What I do with my body it's hard to not get injured," Sanders said. "But who's to say if I was 6-3, 235 pounds that I wouldn't have those type of injuries. With my body, and the way I play, you have to expect some things are going to come up. You pray and hope that they won't happen, but they sometimes do. I can't change the way I play. People expect me to be Bob Sanders. I can't just slow down. The crazy thing is it is noticed when you try to change. People love you, but they know when you're trying to protect yourself. I go to Pro Bowls and become the Defensive Player of the Year because of the way I play."

With Robert Mathis also healthy and with Freddie Keiaho fully recovered from a nagging elbow injury he dealt with all last season, This Colts defense looks poised to do some special things in 2008. Already, I think it is the best defense in the AFC South, especially when you consider it ranked 2nd in points allowed in 2007 and is returning all of their starters. Several of those starters were rookies in 2007, like Ed Johnson and Keyunta Dawson.

Later today, the Colts will hold their final practice as they get ready for their "dress rehearsal" pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills. After that practice, we'll have a good idea as to whether or not Bob and Dwight will play a little in Saturday's game at The Lube.

Camp is closing soon. Colts City has been taken down. Yesterday was the last day for camp fundamentals work, which is the core focus for all Colts camps. Today, they focus a bit more on game-planning for the Falcons, but what that really means is a lot of film work, walk-throughs, and rehab for the injured guys. Fewer fans are in the stands for camp, watching players work and progress. And after Friday, camp breaks and all practices are in Indianapolis. Some next week will be in Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Lube, as I call it. The "Luke" is too boring for me, and I have to mock (a little bit) a stadium with the word oil in it.

Some wrinkles the Colts are working on in camp involve receiver end-arounds (Dallas, Gonzo, and Pierre) and running backs passing the football near the end zone (Dom got a crack at it). But as camp winds down, I'm starting to collect my thoughts, and come to grips with the fact that summer is almost over and FOOTBALL IS ALMOST HERE! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!

The Colts will practice at "The Lube" next week.

Having said that, after watching practices, pre-season games, and listening to contacts and people within the Colts, I have a few thoughts about the roster. Some of these thoughts you already know, but I'll say them anyway because, well, I'm a blogger. It's what I do:

• One area of concern for the Colts is linebacker. Lots of fans are whining about DT, but I think they just don't get it. I also think they have their heads stuck in 2006. The DTs are fine. LBer is the concern. Too many injuries and not enough depth. Tyjuan Hagler is out until October because of an injury that still annoys me. Clint Session is back, but I don't think he'll make a good SAM backer. Session is a WILL, or weakside, backer. We probably won't see Philip Wheeler again until October, or late September. This means the Colts have only Freddie Keiaho, the starting WILL, backing up MLB Gary Brackett. That's not good. There's a lot of uncertainty, health-wise, with his area and it concerns me.

I'm worried about the linebackers.
Photo via static.nfl.com

• Barring some kind of miracle performance this weekend, I have to say I have very little, if any, faith in Jim Sorgi. He just is not an NFL QB, and you have to have someone who can play the position in the event something happens to Peyton Manning. I refuse to accept the dumb excuse Well, if Manning goes down the season is tanked anyway. So why bother? It's simply a defeatist attitude that has no business in Colts Country. If anything happens to Manning, the Colts have to have someone who can step in and make plays. Someone with experience, a good arm, and a solid understanding of the offense. So far, only Quinn Gray has shown me he has the potential to do those things, but he's been far from perfect. But at least Gray has experience stepping in as a back-up. He knows the AFC South (played for both the Jags and Texans before coming to Indy) and has a strong arm. I think it's a long shot that Sorgi gets canned because the Colts seem to like him, but this was his chance to prove he was a solid back-up, and he's failed.
• We know the Colts have great depth at WR this season, but the depth at TE is also looking impressive. Gijon Robinson is now pretty firmly entrenched as the #2 TE in the 2 TE set, but Jacob Tamme has looked damned good in camp and pre-season. The Colts might enter-change them depending upon the down and distance. Tamme just seems like money in the redzone. Tom Santi is now running and doing conditioning drills. Remember, he had the same knee surgery as Peyton. So, we should expect to see Peyton throwing passes in practice next week.
  
• I feel fine with the pass rush going into the season. Dwight Freeney is healthy and Marcus Howard is looking more and more like a 5th round steal. Howard has given LT Tony Ugoh fits all throughout camp. The two have really battled, and it has paid off with Howard looking impressive in pre-season. With Robert Mathis back to normal and Raheem Brock returned to DE, the position is deep with guys who can get to the QB. The Colts are also experimenting with blitzing the SAM backer more, which plays to the strengths of guys like Session and Wheeler. I feel very good about this area, which was so thin last season it cost Indy another championship.
  

Marcus is the real deal.
Photo via i.a.cnn.net

• Charlie Johnson looks like he's poised to start at OG over rookie Mike Pollak when the season starts.
• I feel oddly comfortable about the special teams this year. In fact, this is as comfortable as I've ever felt with this area. I'm so used to worrying myself silly over this unit. But, there are strong, tangible reasons to feel good about the special teams. I truly think Adam Vinatieri is in the best shape of his life, and for the first time in three years he's healthy. Colts.com did an article about the special teams unit recently, and this quote from Vinatieri caught my attention:

  "Our team obviously has good offense, defense and we’ve had OK special teams the last few years, but we’ve been kind of average in those phases," Vinatieri said. "We’ve kind of taken it upon ourselves to help our coverage teams by kicking the ball even further or higher.

  "There are 11 guys on the field, but if we can do our job even a little bit better, it helps everybody else do theirs, too. It really is a team effort and until I kick every ball through the uprights and make every kick a touchback, there really is room for improvement. I’m sure Hunter would say the same thing.

  "The more hang time and the more fair catches we can make those guys do and the more touchbacks that I can do, it’s only going to help our chances."

  If you want to know about "intangibles," look no further than Adam Vinatieri. This is a kicker (a potential HoFer) assuming responsibility, working to make himself better, and assuming a leadership role. Could you ever see Mike Vanderjagt doing this? Obviously, Adam is being generous when he says special teams have been "OK." Truth is they've stunk worse than Peter King's toilet after a late night Mexican chili dinner. So, rather than blame others (his position coach, his QB, his coverage guys, his linemen), Adam got himself into great shape and is now routinely booming the ball into the back of the endzone on kickoffs.

  That's pimp-tastic-awesome folks. Again, this is our kicker. This is what leadership really is.

This man is a pimp. A total, uber-pimp.

I'll sate the obvious here: If the Colts field a solid-to-good special teams unit this season, this team will be scary good. The only weakness this team has ever had consistently in the Dungy era is special teams, in particular the coverage units. If the Colts have finally managed to turn that around, this will be THE team in the NFL in 2008. I'm starting to think they have turned that corner; that special teams is no longer a weakness.

I'm starting to get really, really excited for the 2008 season.

Nothing says Shoot me now! like a pre-season overtime game. Honestly, why do they let these things go to OT? Does anyone really care if a pre-season game gets tied? So silly. Anyway, unlike the HoF game, it looked like a regular old pre-season game out there, complete with sloppy play, turnovers, and players not knowing what the hell is going on.

Typical pre-season.

Colt Homer posted his more than solid game recap over at Naptown, and for the most part I agree with him. Also, some nice comments in the game thread. Thanks to MasterRWayne for setting that up. My Internet was down all day yesterday because of some grid issue. I was in hell. Here are some observations from the game:

• The Panthers ran the ball 48 times. 48! Are you kidding me? Gee, do you think Panthers coach John Fox was trying to send a message to his team in their first pre-season game? Carolina averaged 4.3 yards a carry and generated over 200 yards rushing on 48 friggin' attempts. Either Fox is really wanting to run the football this year in Carolina, or he's trying to get his RBs killed. Poor tackling from Indy's linebackers resulted in some good gains early on for the Panthers. With guys like Jordan Senn, Kyle Shotwell, and Danny Verdun-Wheeler (who was signed just a few days ago) playing LB for you, those things are going to happen. None of these guys are making the team anyway.
• Carolina seemed to game plan the game and did an awful lot of blitzing. Is that cheap and silly for a pre-season game? Yes, but Carolina's coaches are desperate this year, and need to get this team to the playoffs in order to retain their jobs. Desperate teams do desperate things. The blitzing was unexpected, and not something Indy could game plan for. LT Tony Ugoh struggled because he'd never matched up with Julius Peppers before, and wasn't given a chance to study Panthers game film because (unlike Carolina) the Colts didn't game plan this pre-season game. I actually liked that they blitzed because it provided some adversity for the young guys.
  
• Like I told you, Marvin Harrison is fine. If Peyton Manning had been in there and Carolina blitzed like that, Indy would have been up 21-0 in the first quarter with Harrison scoring 2 of those TDs on long bombs. Marvin had a nice catch going out-of-bounds early.
• I'm starting to believe a little bit. For the second straight week, Indy's special teams coverage units have looked good. Very good. 4 Carolina punt returns netted -1 yards, and 3 kick returner netted 68 yards. Adam Vinatieri looks as strong and healthy as I've ever seen him, even in New England. He is booming the ball on kickoffs, and players seem to know their assignments and are tackling the ball carrier well. Again, starting to believe a little bit.
• Jim Sorgi continues to un-impress. He had two turnovers, resulting from poor pass protection because the Panthers were blitzing in pre-season. Despite the bad protection, Sorgi has to protect the ball better. Jared Lorenzen looked much better with the second unit. I still like Quinn Gray better.
• Mike Hart continued to solidify his place on the roster: 2 rushes for 20 yards, 2 catches for 21 yards. Kenton Keith continues to fall further and further into oblivion. He dropped some passes (shocking, I know) and rushed 1 time for 1 yard. Why did Indy cut Clifton Dawson, who at least showed some young potential, and not this waste of space?
• Though Indy will run more 3 WR this year, the Colts got some good TEs for 2008. Gijon Robinson impresses in the passing game, and Jacob Tamme was about as good as it gets, snatching 2 TDs. Tamme is a real weapon in the red zone, and will likely find his way there if the Colts go 2 TE inside the 20.
• T.J. Rushing's returns were very good. He's separating himself from the pack. Pierre Garcon did not play because of a hip injury.
• I disagree with Colt Homer on Devin Aromashodu; he isn't getting cut. For the second straight game, he looked good. I still think Indy will carry 6 WRs this year. I can see Colt Homer's thinking, but Aromashodu and Garcon are both good WRs who can play special teams. I think Indy keeps them both on the active roster.
  
• Brandon Condren makes me feel very good about safety depth. Unlike the LBers, Brandon can actually tackle the ball carrier.
• To the people complaining about the defensive line, saying it reminds them of the 2006 regular season, PLEASE RELAX and remember this is pre-friggin-season. Quinn Pitcock's absence is not the reason Carolina ran the ball 48 times. The Colts have the same 3 DTs the rotated for much of the 2007 season (Ed Johnson, Keyunta Dawson, and Raheem Brock) and have added a gem out of Rutgers named Eric Foster. Foster is a stud, and anyone who doesn't see that isn't watching the games or practices. The Colts run defense will be just fine once the rotation gets set, Dwight Freeney returns, and Bob Sanders is unleashed on the civilized world. Guys like Foster and Brock are learning new roles, and Dungy is looking hard at players like Joe Bradley and Colin (not the dumb actor) Ferrell. If the Colts feel that adding someone like Booger McFarland for depth would help, they'd do it. Bill Polian and Tony Dungy love Booger, and Booger loves the Colts. Obviously, since they haven't signed Booger at this point, they feel good about their DT situation. Calm down. Relax. And remember it is still early August.

As fans, we were spoiled a little bit by the Hall of Fame game, which had the feel of a regular season game in terms of execution and level of play. Last night's game was more a typical pre-season game. Per usual, there were many positives, and those players that showed more negatives and positives will likely not make the active roster in 4 weeks.

For a Panthers fan's take, head over to the always reliable Car Scratch Reader. Look for more insights and analysis throughout the day and week, including MasterRWayne's take on the game.

The Colts have taken it easy this week, with only a light 30 minute workout on Tuesday morning and special teams practice in the afternoon. Yesterday, they got back to their normal camp routine, but are still running around in shorts. While at camp last week, I asked a few people "in the know" as to why the Colts were not practicing in pads. On person responded with this interesting nugget (paraphrased): Look what happened to Washington. They started their camp in full pads and lost 4 guys for the season. Both Washington and Indy play 5 pre-season games. At this point, you are just trying to keep people healthy, not get them killed in meaningless games.

Looking at it that way, Indy's approach makes sense. I say this knocking on just about anything made of wood, but Indy has not really had any major injuries in camp. Now, morons like Chris Mortenson will still go on ESPN and spew that he's spoken with "people" who think the Colts will not be as good this year. Per usual, Mortenson is clueless when it comes to analyzing rosters, and since he hasn't actually been to camp (or spoken to his colleagues like Cris Carter, you raved about the Colts), it's fair to say Mort is not clued in.

One person who is clued in is Phil B, who has slowly but surely brought the Indy Star's sports coverage back to relevance. His camp blogging is a welcome treat from the Indy Star. You'd think Mike Chappell might get the hint and start realizing the beat writer is pretty much irrelevant now. Chappell is a fine writer and knows football, but why read his stuff a day late when I can read Phil's blog (or this blog) same day? Anyway, some observations from camp via Phil B:

* Defensive end/tackle Raheem Brock was in the backfield so fast on one play, he leaped and came within finger tips of an interception on a screen pass to Joseph Addai. And, yes, for anyone wondering about Addai after Sunday's smack in the head, the running back looks just fine.

...

* Rookie Eric Foster practically swallowed Dominic Rhodes on another screen that didn't materialize too effectively.

...

* Colts coach Tony Dungy didn't like what he saw and blew his whistle four times before snaps. That's obviously sloppy. I don't remember hearing him blow the whistle that many times in any of his previous camp practices.

Practices have been a but sloppy of late, but that's a result of Manning not being there and several young (or new) players getting used to things. Despite some sloppiness, Phil is starting to see (and recognize) what many of us have talked about since camp opened.

This team is good. Maybe scary good.

I know it's early yet. I know some of these guys may not make the team. But one game in, if I'm the Colts, I like what I see. Each year, teams change. And with the Colts, typically one of the younger teams, the question is always the same: Can any of the new guys make a difference or contribute? I get the sense this time, more than in past years, the Colts will get more production from this rookie class. I'm taking an early guess that this class could be special. I'm not predicting Hall of Fame inductions and Pro Bowls because that doesn't make sense at such an early juncture, but the Colts, president Bill Polian and his staff, have added some interesting pieces to the mix.

So, the rumors were true. Quinn Pitcock retired. Thanks to JakeTheSnake for the Fan Shot on the subject. It's a bit sad because Pitcock was known as a fierce competitor at Ohio State. He played in National Championship games, and came on strong last year as a good rookie DT. Now, he doesn't want to play football anymore. As annoying and disappointing as it is, look at it this way. Quinn had the bullocks to retire early in camp rather than pull a Corey Simon. He didn't cheat or steal money from the Colts, and he was honest in his decision. The Colts likely respected that, and both parties have moved on. I wish Quinn good luck, and hope nothing awful has happened.

We can sit hear and joke that the Curse of the Third Round Pick has popped up again, but guys like Freddie Keiaho (3rd round, 2006), Dante Hughes (3rd round, 2007), and Philip Wheeler (3rd round, 2008) are proving to be good young players. The loss of Pitcock (sigh, I'll really miss making fun of that name) is also at a position (snicker) the Colts are full at (snicker, snicker). Raheem Brock, Ed Johnson, Keyunta Dawson, and the new kid Eric Foster are all good DTs. Big Ed has a chance to become something special, and Brock has always been a consistent player.

Still, even with solid depth after Pitcock's retirement, why not bring back Booger McFarland for a physical? You know he wants to play. You know he'd love to come back to Indy. He'd take a role as a rotating overtackle (I think that's the right position, shake n bake) on the Colts line. He loves Dungy, and mentored Ed Johnson last year. The key is his health, but even that is negotiable. If he's rehabbing now, but will be ready by, say, Week 3, why not sign him?

Booger even has a website up. Notice the team uniform he's wearing.

More rumors and observations continue to beam their way from Terre Haute to my desktop. Ah, the Internet! How I love you so. I'm still working on my depth chart. I wanted to get it done this weekend, but between organizing all the info I got from camp over the weekend, and dealing with the snappy little "bloggers" over at Fanhouse, I just didn't have time. I hope to have it done today. Thanks for your patience.

• We still have no word on Quinn Pitcock. Dungy said there would be explanation today.
• Adam Vinatieri was consistently making FGs of 50+ yards at camp. He looks healthy, his leg is strong, and (according to conditioning folks) he is in the best physical shape of his life. Adam might have finally shaken off the injuries.
• Many said Dungy was not happy with Keiaho leveling Hart on Saturday. Keiaho was taken out of practice and told to cool it.
• Clifton Dawson has looked better than Mike Hart.
• With Brock moving back to DE, the Colts will likely employ a 3-4 player d-line rotation. This means Mathis or Brock start, with Brock moving inside on passing downs. Ed Johnson is the undertackle while Keyunta Dawson or (if he ever shows up) Quinn Pitcock are overtackles. Also thrown into the mix is speed rushing DE Marcus Howard. The Colts are also high on DT Eric Foster. Left out of the mix, it seems, are DEs Josh Thomas and Jeff Charleston.

Based on camp reporters from TheMatic and Aerostar193; articles posted on the Tribune Star and Indy Star websites, ESPN's own "blog"; and camp reports posted on ColtFreaks.com, I'll do my best to piece together early observations of players many of you have questions about. I'll cite the sources at the end of article:

• Philip Wheeler hurt is knee yesterday. After practice he was seen on the sideline with an ice wrap around his knee. This is a somewhat positive  sign that the injury is not too bad because if it was a pulled or torn tendon or ligament, he likely would not have been on the practice field sideline with ice on the knee. Apparently, the knee is "sore." Dungy elaborated on the injury (somewhat):

  "Wheeler has just irritation in the knee and [it’s] a condition he’s had that flared up. We’re hoping that it’s not too serious. Melvin Bullitt did have a little sprained thumb that they’re going to have to work on. He’s probably going to miss a few days, but nothing that should hold him out more than a week," the Colts coach said, adding that he doesn’t know how long Wheeler may be sidelined.

  
  
• Day 2 saw the running backs stand out as the players put the pads on for the first time in weeks. The backs working with the starting unit are Addai, Rhodes, and Mike Hart. Noticeably absent from working with the starting unit: Kenton Keith. They are using Hart the way the used James Mungro from 2002-2005. Hart is small, but hits the gaps in the line hard and with explosion. He is essentially a hybrid short yardage back, fullback.
  


• Mike Hart got his bell rung by Freddie Keiaho on one play. Fans in the stands cheered "Welcome to the NFL, rookie!"
  


• Most have said Roy Hall has looked impressive. The only person I've read who was not impressed with Hall is Aerostar193, which is not to say Aerostar193 is wrong in his assessment. Everyone else though has raved about Hall.
  


• Equally impressive has been Pierre Garcon. His routes are very crisp and his movement fluid. He is drawing comparisons to a young Marvin Harrison in terms of body type and route running.
  


• Speaking of Marvin Harrison, the early assessment of his work at camp is that the old Marvin is back and the league better "watch out." Roy Hall and Pierre Garcon, two young players, were amazed at how fast and well conditioned Harrison has looked:
  

  "Marvin looked excellent," Hall said. "He didn’t miss a beat. He looked extremely healthy. His knees looked fine. He’s running faster than ever. He looks good. I was excited to see him back out there and happy to see him out there. Marv was just out there being Marv, catching the ball and making big plays. He’ll continue to do that throughout the season."

  "I don’t see anything wrong with him," Garcon noted. "He’s quick and fast, extremely fast."

  Both Dominic Rhodes and Jeff Saturday, who have played with Marvin Harrison for over 7 years, say Harrison has a big chip on his shoulder because people have written him off because of his age.


• Eric Foster has drawn a ton of praise from both offensive and defensive coaches. He is especially stout against the run. More and more, Foster looks like a keeper and another undrafted rookie gem for Polian.
  


• Rookie DE Marcus Howard and second year LT Tony Ugoh have gone at it the last two days. During drills, the two are battling against each other extremely hard. Ugoh has had trouble dealing with Howard's great speed and Howard has had problems getting past Ugoh's arms. Howard's speed has been the eye-popping "wow" many at camp have noticed. He seems unblockable unless you have someone fast enough to match him.
  


• Clint Session was not at Day 2 practice because of a personal issue. Because Tyjuan Hagler, Philip Wheeler, and now Session were unavailable, the Colts used Ramon Guzman at SAM. Guzman played special teams and DE last season. No details on how he looked.
  


• Jacob Tamme has been practicing his long-snapping for special teams. Tamme has also looked good blocking. Some have even questioned why blocking was a knock on him in college. He has looked solid blocking in drills and scrimmages. Seems the #2 spot is now Tamme's to lose.


• Mike Pollak worked at OG for the starting unit on Friday, but so did Charlie Johnson. PhilB at the Indy Star still think Pollak will win the job. Pollak did not practice Saturday, and Johnson took most of the snaps at OG.
  


• Most media have praised Jim Sorgi and how well he's looked in camp. PhilB still thinks Sorgi holds onto the ball to long, which has always been Sorgi's problem. Still, most have said Sorgi is leaps and bounds better than Gray and Lorenzen, but much of that has to do with Sorgi having known the offense for 4 years.
  


• Tim Jennings has looked good. Damn good, in fact. He appears more comfortable as a Cover 2 corner, making quick reads and reacting fast. The entire Colts secondary has impressed, with Dante Hughes, Michael Coe, Brandon Condren, and TJ Rushing also standing out. The Colts seem to have an excellent secondary this season. Condren had an INT in morning practice on Saturday.
  


• Raheem Brock will move back to DE, and only play DT on passing situations. The Colts are worried that starting Brock at DT every down will indeed wear him down. Expect to see more of Brock starting at DE against teams that like to establish the run first. Robert Mathis will start at DE if teams like to throw early. Keyunta Dawson is now starting at DT along with Big Ed Johnson.


• Dungy is concerned that players are not used to practicing in pads:

  "I told the team afterwards [that] we have to learn how to practice in pads," the Colts coach said. "What we’re trying to do, you know, we’ve gone three months now and then the first two [training camp] practices [in jerseys and shorts]. So we’ve got to learn how to hit, deal with the contact and get done what we need to do without blowing each other up. So that’s something you always have to learn."



• RB Clifton Dawson made several excellent plays during Day 2 practice.  He had two 15 yard sweeps for TDs, and broke several long runs in the morning practice. Joseph Addai and Dom Rhodes also had some excellent long runs in afternoon practice.


• Not a peep about Kenton Keith. Not one single, solitary bit of news about how well (or poorly) he practiced. That's not good for Kenton, especially with the other RBs looking so good.


• Samuel Giguere caught a 45 yard TD from Jared Lorenzen. Giguere has noticeably been working hard.


• Freeney and Sanders have rehabbed while the rest of the team has done drills. Both are running fast. Freeney has been spinning and making moves. Between the two, Sanders looks the most ready to return.


• Rookie TE Tom Santi had the exact same operation on his knee Peyton Manning did, only two weeks earlier. Santi has been seen at camp walking with a limp and a back of some kind on his knee. If Santi is the measuring point, we will likely not see Peyton Manning practice until the week of August 18th. Manning is still not at camp.


• People have raved over Indy's receiving corps. Hall and Garcon were mentioned above, but Devin Aromashodu has also impressed. With so many receivers looking good, the Colts might carry 5 or 6 WRs into the regular season, with two of them (Hall and Giguere, perhaps) possibly playing special teams as gunners.


• No information as yet as to who is returning punts and kicks.

Whew! Folks, this is the most information I've ever received about any stretch of training camp. Now, more than ever, people have a vested interest in what is going on at Terre Haute, and their desire to report that info back to fans is unrelenting. Special thanks to people like Aerostar193 and TheMatic for giving us first hand accounts just for Stampede Blue readers. Sources for all information bulleted are below. Click the links and read more:

ColtFreaks.com

IndyStar Blog

Tribune Star Article #1

Tribune Star Article #2

Colts.com

Areostar193's Fan Post

TheMatic's Twitter Fan Post

It's been kind of weird this off-season. For the first time in God knows how long, there are more questions about the Colts offense than about the defense. In fact, of three main areas of the team, the defense is the one that has the fewest questions. Now obviously, this is relative to us Colts fans. The "questions" we have about our team focus on depth and versatility. Let's be honest: We're lucky these are our "problems." Elite teams like New England have serious questions about who will start in their secondary, and San Diego doesn't know if their starting QB or their best playmaker in the passing game (Antonio Gates) are healthy.

With the Colts, in particular their defense, there are no current questions about who will start where. Really, if you think about it, there aren't even any big position battles. The only one on defense I can think of is SAM linebacker Tyjuan Hagler fighting off rookie Philip Wheeler, but since Wheeler is a rookie learning an entirely new system, I doubt Hagler will lose his job to him. Gary Brackett is a lock at MLB, and Freddie Keiaho would have to royally screw up to lose his starting WILL spot to the very solid Clint Session.

This means that, essentially, the entire starting defense from the 2007 season will return. This includes Dwight Freeney, who is ahead of schedule on his lis franc rehab. In fact, the Colts seem to think Freeney could play in pre-season, but are holding him back just to be safe. I realize that the Colts injury report is often a load of crap, but seeing Freeney himself say it reinforces it for me. Also expected back at 100% are Robert Mathis and Raheem Brock. Added to their arsenal of DEs are rookies Marcus Howard and Curtis Johnson; both with demon-like speed off the edge.

The key area that will warrant a close look is the secondary. Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, Bob Sanders, and Antoine Bethea are all locked in as starters. This group in one of the best secondaries in football; top 5, easily. The depth is the area that warrants attention, and not in a bad way. Third year CB Tim Jennings took over the nickel corner spot last season after then-rookie Dante Hughes went down with an injury. Hughes is now back and recovered, and both he and Jennings will battle it out in camps for the nickel back spot. Also lingering are TJ Rushing, Michael Coe,  and Texas free agent rookie Brandon Foster. I don't think Keiwan Ratliff (currently listed on the roster) will last on the team.

Rushing really stepped up his coverage game in 2007. Drafted primarily as a return specialist, he has grown into a solid nickel or dime coverage DB. Because Rushing can return kicks and cover, he has likely locked down a roster spot. If Hughes is healthy, he could win back his starting nickel spot, leaving Jennings as a potential odd man out. Still, even with Jennings potentially getting lost in the shuffle, this is a very deep secondary. I mean, I haven't even touched on players like reserve safety Matt Giordano, or rookie Jamie Silva. This is a touch, hard-hitting, big play group that will flourish in 2008 if the Colts pass rush can stay healthy.

All this talk about defense, and not one mention about the DTs and the run. What difference a year makes. Last year, we were practically down on our knees, begging God Almighty not to get Booger McFarland hurt. Then, Booger went down in the first week of Training Camp. He was replaced by a group of tough, smart rookies like Ed Johnson, Quinn Pitcock, and Keyunta Dawson. Each played magnificently in 2007, and the Colts run defense improved dramatically. Teams like Jacksonville didn't run all over Indy, and even great backs like LT had a hard time gaining yards. This group is now a year older, a year wiser. With Raheem Brock returning to DT, this is a solid group.

I expect big things from this defense in 2008. They have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Bob Sanders and a (hopefully) healthy Dwight Freeney. This group should dominate.

Jamie Silva was a serious playmaker in college. Photo: Scouts.com

I'm taking a break from bashing Mike Florio to actually talk about something important: Free agent rookies!

Now, I know some of you out there are scoffing, making fun of the fact that I care about who the Colts sign as rookie free agents. The truth is rookie free agents as important, if not more important, than the draft. Don't believe me? Ok then, who had a bigger impact on the Colts in 2007: Anthony Gonzalez, or Ed Johnson? You can make a strong argument for both, but I personally think Johnson edges out Gonzo because without big Ed the Colts defense reverts back to the regular season defense we all were tortured with in 2006. Remember when we all stated that the Colts could not afford to lose Booger McFarland, and then two days into training camp they did... for the season! McFarland was quickly replaced by an undrafted, free agent rookie named Ed Johnson. Johnson started every single game at DT for the 2007, and the Colts defense became the #2 defense in football.

So, when I say undrafted free agents are important, I damn well mean it! Oh, and nobody finds diamond-in-the-rough rookies via free agency like Bill Polian. No one.

Today, we'll focus a bit on two gents the Colts signed as rookie free agents: DE Curtis Johnson out of Clark Atlanta and SS Jamie Silva out of BC.

Both Curtis Johnson and Jamie Silva were Scouting Combine invites, and both have very strong scouting reports available at NFL.com. Both fit the bill for a Cover 2-style defense. Both are high character individuals with speed, explosiveness, and a knack for getting the football.

Starting with Silva, NFL.com compares him to Arizona's Corey Chavous:

Few safeties in the professional ranks have the instinctive feel for the ball and knowledge of the action in front of him that Chavous displays. Silva plays with the same field vision, ball anticipation and determination. He is a physical tackler who excels in run support and does a nice job of impeding the ballcarrier's forward progress with his hard-hitting wrap-up tackling skills. He has small, yet natural hands to make the interception and is very good at gaining placement in attempts to reroute the receiver. What he lacks in hip fluidness and explosive second gear, he makes up for with solid tackling skills, taking proper angles and great anticipation skills. Toss in his total disregard for his own well-being, determination to make the play and an added bonus with his kamikaze-style of play on special teams and you have player who is certain to be a fan favorite.

The Colts have some excellent depth at safety with Bob, Antoine, Giordano, and Melvin Bullitt. However, if a player like Bullitt is to retain his job in Indy, he needs to prove that he can become an excellent special teams player. With Silva, he seems to have the speed and ballhawking ability needed to play safety in Dungy's Cover 2, but it is not another safety Indy needs.

Indy needs a special teams ace, and if Silva can play the kind of special teams that the Scouting Combine people think he can play, he could beat out Bullitt. Small side note, Silva could have played college ball at IU, but rejected their offer.

Curtis Johnson Photo: Patsy Collier

With Curtis Johnson, the Colts have another speed rusher off the edge similar to 5th round pick Marcus Howard. Scouts compare Johnson to Joey Porter, who played DE in college, but was transitioned to LBer in the Pittsburgh 3-4 package.

Johnson is not as instinctive as Porter in locating the ball and will need to totally revamp his pass drop and coverage skills, but he has a violent hand punch to overpower big blockers and a good burst off the edge to be a superb edge rusher. His strong hands have seen him have good success dislodging ballcarriers from the ball. With his ability to wreak havoc in the backfield, he will bring instant value in pass-rushing situations. He is also a very capable coverage defender on special teams. The big thing here will be getting Johnson a patient coach. Doing so could unearth a Pro Bowler before long. He was tried at both inside and outside linebacker in postseason all-star action and held up very well on the edge. The mental aspect of playing inside will be too much for him to grasp at this early stage of his possible shift to a stand-up defender from one with his hand on the ground. Look for Johnson to become the first noteworthy CAU product since former NFL fullback Chuck Evans (1993-2000), who was drafted in the 11th round in 1992.

Like with Silva, Johnson could find his niche on the team as a special teams gunner. However, I'm of the mindset that the more pass rushers Indy has, the better. Losing Freeney, Mathis, and Brock killed Indy's chances of repeating last year. I do not want that to happen again, especially with excellent secondary Indy has. Johnson's one problem is his lack of bulk. He's taller than Robert Mathis and Marcus Howard, but weighs less. He will need to add some muscle in order to stay healthy in the NFL. Johnson was considered on of the "best kept secrets" in college football after he impressed many during his last year in college.

If Curtis Johnson displays the same knack at getting to the QB as he did in college, adding him (along with Howard and potentially Rosevelt Colvin) would make Indy's pass rush even more deadly.